Christmas Countdown: Day 1 - Review: The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith + Kick-off Giveaway

Sarah Smith is the author of The Vanished Child, Chasing Shakespeares, The Knowledge of Water, A Citizen of the Country and The Other Side of Dark, her YA debut!

Book Description via Goodreads:

Since losing both of her parents, fifteen-year-old Katie can see and talk to ghosts, which makes her a loner until fellow student Law sees her drawing of a historic house and together they seek a treasure rumored to be hidden there by illegal slave-traders.

Law Walker knew Katie Mullens before she was crazy. Before her mother died. Law knows Katie’s crazy now, but she’s always been talented. And she keeps filling sketch pads even though her drawings have gone a little crazy as well—dark, bloody. What Law doesn’t know is that these drawings are real. Or were real. Katie draws what she sees—and Katie sees dead people. People who have died—recently, and not so recently—in accidents, from suicide, even a boy who was trapped in a house that burned down more than 100 years ago. And it’s this boy who makes Law want to get to know Katie all over again. So what if his dad doesn’t want him dating a white girl? So what if people think Katie is dangerous? The ghost boy is hiding a secret that Law needs to know—and it’s much bigger, much more shocking than anyone ever expected.

Source: Simon & Schuster – Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Bernadette Cruz

My Thoughts:

Katie’s gift and curse of seeing ghosts was a key that will unlock several secrets of her life and that of others, as well. It was her burden to see what was invisible to others. Communicating with the dead was something she never did. But would she still remain to keep her mouth shut when she feels that she is compelled to communicate?

I was not really familiar with the history of African American people aside from the fact that a long time ago, they were brought from Africa to America to become slaves. It was something a bit similar to what happened to my ancestors. They were not enslaved with the same intensity but they were not treated as equals either. My ancestors were abused, belittled and treated like idiots in probably every way possible. Something like this always evokes a strong emotion, whatever emotion it is, among the descendants. And it will always be a reflection of the descendants’ identity, soul and humanity. This was what The Other Side of Dark showed me through Law.

Told in alternating perspectives, by Katie and Law, we get to see the difference in the narrative of the two characters. There was a distinct tone for each character. The priorities are not the same and to some extent, the level of sanity is not as well. I appreciated the change in the tone of the two characters. They were talking about the same things and yet it was as if they were talking about entirely different things. Although this novel was a collision of two lives, two colors and two races, I could not deny that there was a thick border between the characters. Whether it was caused by race, by skin color, by social image, it was still something that prevented their complete mesh.

Bravo to Smith for coming up with this haunting and heart-melting debut. It was simply great: creepy, profound and unpredictable. At first, I found the pace a bit slow but as I reached the more supernatural part, I could not stop. From the first line, Smith captured my interest with Katie’s haunt. Sometimes I deliberated whether or not Katie was insane or she truly did see ghosts. I liked how I kept thinking throughout the novel.

The ghosts were interesting. They articulated things and secrets, that no one alive would tell. They kept all kinds of secrets and all kinds of puzzle pieces that the people of the present needed, to understand their past and in turn, understand who they are. Perkins Bequest intrigued me the most. This sort of thing seemed like something I would see in the movies. The flashbacks via ghosts were marvelous, chilling and exciting. The attention to detail intensified everything, turned this novel into a real world, something I could easily imagine.

The Other Side of Dark dwelled on the issues of history, the kind that was not told, not published in any books and on the issues of the dead, the abused and the enslaved, on the issues of races and reparations, and on the issue of identity. It was a profound novel, trying to answer what is significant, what is untold, what is needed and what is yet to be discovered. Fans of creepy stories, multicultural stories, historical fiction and paranormal will love this!

Rating:

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Kick-Off Giveaway (Contest Closed!)

As you all know, this is the start of Christmas Countdown! For the Kick-Off Giveaway, Sarah Smith and Bernadette Cruz of S&S are offering a signed finished copy of The Other Side of Dark! If you liked the review or if you just want a good read, join the giveaway!

Contest Rules:

Must be a follower.

Comment about the review.

Open Internationally!

Ends January 1, 2011!
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